Steering support member structure

Abstract

A structure of a steering support member, which enables the reduction of vehicle interior noise and steering vibration by suppressing the fore-and-aft vibration of the steering support member by means of a C-shaped or U-shaped brace and by increasing the rigidity of the steering support member in the front of the driver seat side, and enables the setting of a vibration mode in accordance with vehicle types by fine adjusting the positions of the brace and a steering bracket and by selecting the rigidity of the brace.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A steering support member structure which is constructed across a width of a vehicle body and is attached to left and right sides of the vehicle body at both ends in a vehicle-body width direction via an end-part-connection bracket,
 wherein the steering support member comprises two support members disposed side by side in parallel, a first support member being disposed across the entire width of the vehicle body and a second support member being disposed in a corresponding location on a driver seat side, 
 wherein an end part on the vehicle body side of the second support member is attached, along with the first support member, to the vehicle body via the end-part-connection bracket, and an end part opposite the vehicle body of the second support member is attached to the first support member via an intermediate-part-connection bracket, 
 wherein a C-shaped or U-shaped brace which extends in a vehicle body front-rear direction and straddles the first and second support members in the vehicle body front-rear direction, and a steering bracket which is C-shaped or made up of two parallel members and which extends in the vehicle body front-rear direction, are disposed in the middle in the vehicle-body width direction of the second support member, 
 wherein one edge part of the brace which connects to at least one of the first and second support members, and one member of the steering bracket which connects to the first and second support members are disposed so as to be overlapped at the middle in the vehicle-body width direction of the second support member, and another edge part of the brace which connects to either or both of the first and second support members, and the other member of the steering bracket which connects to the first and second support members are disposed so as to be overlapped at a position at ¼ of the total length of the second support member from the middle in the vehicle-body width direction of the second support member towards the intermediate-part-connection bracket, 
 wherein a C-shaped or U-shaped base part of the brace, of which the vehicle-body front side is closed, and which is disposed on the vehicle-body front side spaced apart from the first and second support members, is connected to an upper part of a cowl panel or dash panel in the front of the vehicle body, and 
 wherein there is constructed between the opposing edge parts of the C-shaped or U-shaped brace a pipe member which is disposed in parallel with the first support member, and connects to the opposing edge parts at an intermediate position in the front-rear direction between the first support member and the base part of the brace. 
 
     
     
       2. The structure of a steering support member according to  claim 1 , wherein the pipe member is formed of a resin material. 
     
     
       3. The structure of  claim 1 , wherein the C-shaped or U-shaped base part of the brace suppresses vibration against a fore-and-aft vibration of the steering support member. 
     
     
       4. The structure of  claim 1 , wherein a length in the vehicle-body width direction of the base part of the brace is made smaller than the space between the opposing edge parts in which the pipe member is constructed therebetween, and the front of the U-shaped brace is made smaller in the front of the vehicle body with respect to the pipe member. 
     
     
       5. The structure of  claim 1 , wherein the opposing edge parts of the brace extend in the vehicle body front-rear direction in at location at which the two support members are disposed side by side in parallel. 
     
     
       6. The structure of  claim 1 , wherein the edge parts of the brace are not directly connected with each other at any location rear of the pipe member in the front-rear direction.